I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1641 

To direct the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to plan to 

return to the Moon and develop a sustained human presence on the Moon. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 15, 2011 

Mr. POSEY (for himself, Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas, Mr. WOLF, Mr. BISHOP

of Utah, and Mr. OLSON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

A BILL 

To direct the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

to plan to return to the Moon and develop a sustained 

human presence on the Moon. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reasserting American 

5 Leadership in Space Act’’ or the ‘‘REAL Space Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The 109th Congress passed the National 

9 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization 


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1 Act of 2005 overwhelmingly, establishing as the Na2 tional Aeronautics and Space Administration’s pri3 ority human space flight goal: ‘‘To develop a sus4 tained human presence on the Moon . . . to promote 

5 exploration, commerce, science, and United States 

6 preeminence in space as a stepping stone for the fu7 ture exploration of Mars and other destinations.’’. 

8 (2) The 110th Congress overwhelmingly re9 affirmed the vision of returning to the Moon as an 

10 integral part of exploring further into our solar sys11 tem through the passage of the National Aero12 nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 

13 of 2008, expressing support for ‘‘the broad goals of 

14 the space exploration policy of the United States, in15 cluding the eventual return to and exploration of the 

16 Moon and other destinations in the solar system and 

17 the important national imperative of independent ac18 cess to space’’. 

19 (3) The 111th Congress, in the National Aero20 nautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 

21 of 2010, called for the development of a heavy lift 

22 capability of greater than 130 metric tons consisting 

23 of the Space Launch System (SLS) and Multi-Pur24 pose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) to pursue exploration, 

25 yet fell short on explicitly stating a clear destination. 


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1 (4) The 112th Congress has reaffirmed this 

2 commitment to the development of a heavy lift capa3 bility. 

4 (5) A sustained human presence on the Moon 

5 will allow astronauts and researchers the oppor6 tunity to leverage new technologies in addressing the 

7 challenges of sustaining life on another celestial 

8 body, lessons which are necessary and applicable as 

9 we explore further into our solar system, to Mars 

10 and beyond. 

11 (6) A sustained human presence on the Moon 

12 would once again inspire and engage public interest 

13 in our space program, motivating young people to 

14 excel in the vital subjects of math and science, sub15 jects in which American students lag behind our 

16 international competitors. 

17 (7) A sustained human presence on the Moon 

18 would challenge American industry to continue to 

19 develop technologies that not only enhance our ex20 ploration programs but can be applied across all dis21 ciplines of science. 

22 (8) The commercial applications of space tech23 nologies have had tens of billions of dollars in eco24 nomic impact, including products from semiconducVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:28 Apr 21, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1641.IH H1641

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1 tors and aircraft controls to scratch-resistant lenses 

2 and water purification systems. 

3 (9) The healthcare technologies derived from 

4 our space program, such as the portable x-ray ma5 chine, the MRI, advanced life-saving diagnostics, 

6 and the implantable heart aid, have saved and im7 proved countless lives. 

8 (10) Space is the world’s ultimate high ground, 

9 returning to the Moon and reinvigorating our human 

10 space flight program is a matter of national security. 

11 (11) Technologies developed and sustained by 

12 the National Aeronautics and Space Administra13 tion’s human space flight program, such as liquid 

14 and solid rocket propulsion, environmental and life 

15 support systems, and communications, navigation, 

16 and control systems are important to our military. 

17 (12) China and Russia, understanding the eco18 nomic and strategic importance of human space 

19 flight, have declared their intentions of colonizing 

20 the Moon and are advancing their lunar exploration 

21 plans. 

22 (13) It is strategically important that the 

23 United States possess and maintain the capabilities 

24 of unfettered operation in the space domain, and not 

25 cede the space domain to other nations. 


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1 SEC. 3. MISSION. 

2 In accordance with the National Aeronautics and 

3 Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005, which 

4 established as the National Aeronautics and Space Admin5 istration’s priority goal: ‘‘To develop a sustained human 

6 presence on the Moon . . . to promote exploration, com7 merce, science, and United States preeminence in space 

8 as a stepping stone for the future exploration of Mars and 

9 other destinations.’’, and in accordance with the National 

10 Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act 

11 of 2008, which endorsed ‘‘the broad goals of the space ex12 ploration policy of the United States, including the even13 tual return to and exploration of the Moon and other des14 tinations in the solar system and the important national 

15 imperative of independent access to space’’, the National 

16 Aeronautics and Space Administration shall plan to return 

17 to the Moon by 2022 and develop a sustained human pres18 ence on the Moon, in order to promote exploration, com19 merce, science, and United States preeminence in space 

20 as a stepping stone for the future exploration of Mars and 

21 other destinations. The budget requests and expenditures 

22 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

23 shall be consistent with achieving this goal. 

Æ 


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